Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Crusade of Life
by Acti
Summary: When an Oshawott and Charmander who are always fighting come across a Treecko with amnesia, they end up joining the local Explorer's Guild. Soon, they find that the fate of world is in their own hands. With help from their Guildmates and even some Legendary Pokemon, can they save it?
1. Chapter 1

"Dangit Burnie... Stop being such a coward and come with me!"

"Eve, there's so much water there... It's too risky for me."

"Oh, man up!"

"Hey, you're the Water type. You don't know what it's like being a Fire type."

"Oh come on! How're you gonna toughen up if you don't face your fears? What're you, stupid?"

Two "friends", an Oshawott and a Charmander, were currently arguing on a dirt road that lend to a beach one way, and into the nearby Shard Town the other. The Oshawott was female and known by the name Eve and was trying to get the Charmander to come with her to the beach. She looked ticked off, as usually, and had a disheveled appearance as if she hadn't groomed her fur in a while. She was also slightly slumped forward. The Charmander's name was Burnard, or Burnie as he preferred to be called. Although his name was typically spelled with a _e_ instead of a _u_, his parents decided to go for the Fire-type pun and intentionally spelt it differently. Burnie had two fangs that were longer than normal and had a very slight lisp. His words were understandable, but it was still present in his speech if you were listening for it. The two had known each other for a while, and this was pretty normal for them. Eve would almost always start these fights, though. Their arguments were like a fire; She lit it, and Burnie just kept it burning.

"Ugggh... Fine. If I get hurt, I swear to Arceus, I'm gonna kill you!" Burnie replied angrily.

"First of all, you won't get hurt. Second of all, if you get hurt you probably won't even be able to touch me. I have the type advantage anyway," Eve replied with a smug shrug. "I'd like to see you try."

"Why do I even hang out with you?"

"I dunno. Maybe your egg had a crack in it or something." The Oshawott crossed her tiny white arms above her Scalchop and proceeded to go down the path to the beach.

"_Your_ egg had a crack in it!" Burnie shot back, hurrying forward to catch up. "If one of us had something wrong with them, It'd most likely be you!"

"Well, perhaps the crack was for the better, then. You should be jealous your egg wasn't jostled if that was the case."

"Oh shut up. Let's just get this over with. Why're we even going to the beach anyway?"

"Do I even need a reason?"

"Ugghhh... You're just wasting time, aren't you? You've got nothing to gain from this - and boy do you like gaining things - and you're making me tag along!"

Eve frowned. His reasoning was legitimate. She didn't even know herself. She felt compelled to go there, but the reason why was foggy. She hadn't thought about it until now. Often she had random thoughts and desires to go to places and do things with little to no reason, and she often was benefitted by these random choices. In fact, one of these random ideas led her to meeting Burnie. The beach was getting closer now that they were moving ( though what would you expect? ), so perhaps the reason she was drawn to the beach would reveal itself soon. _Maybe..._ Eve thought, but remained silent otherwise.

"Well, are you going to answer or what?" Burnie asked. He paused to see if there was going to be a reply from the blue and white otter. There was none. "Do you admit defeat?"

"Y'know... If you hadn't added that, you'd be fine," Eve grumbled. "Don't question my reasoning, or you'll find your tail snuffed in a heartbeat._ Your last_ _heartbeat_, that is."

Eve's threatening words made Burnie fall back a bit so he was out of the Oshawott's snuffing reach. He instictively grabbed his tail. The flame burning on the tip of it was a reminder of his mortality. If it went out, so would his life, and he was two young to die. He knew Eve wouldn't do it. He was the only one who ever hung out with her, and for good reason. No one else could stand her, and even the Fire-type himself didn't know why he stuck around. He felt that deep down this bully Oshawott was a good person. His mind also seemed to work on a whim. These "whims" were his assumptions of others. He sometimes decided on a Pokemon's true character without any supporting facts, and often they were correct. Whether or not his judgement of Eve's nature was correct was unknown at this point. He was yet to see the otter's inner self.

For around a minute or two, up until the duo reached the beach, there was silence other than the sounds of nature. There were the sounds of the wind, the wildlife, the wild Pokemon going about their business, and the nearing sea, but no sounds came from the Oshawott and Charmander.

The silence was of multiple things. Eve's silence was one of triumph and intimidation. She was sure she won her argument. Burnie's was the opposite; his silence was that of a scared Pokemon, one who was afraid that one wrong word would lead to his death. Perhaps, if you looked at it from a different perspective, this silence was sort of an awkward one...One of those silences you get when a person - or Pokemon, in this case - takes things too far. And perhaps Eve's threat was one of those very things.

In little time they had reached the beach. The water was clear and sparkling and stretched out as far as the eye could see if you looked at it. The sands were light and washed up kelp and seashells dotted it.

Currently, the sun was setting. This beach wasn't positioned in a way where you could look out and see the sun set, nor see it rise. The beach ran north to south pretty much the whole way across it. You'd have to look to your sides the see the sun.

The weather was clear, and there was a light breeze. It was a bit cooler at the beach, but not too cold. Burnie's element kept himself warm, and a little cool left Eve unphased.

Eve scanned the beach for signs of why she was enticed there. A group of wild Corphish were there, huddled up for some reason. They seemed to be poking something with their pincers. The Oshawott was curious as to what was being poked.

Eve said, "Hey, what's that?" before running ahead to see what was drawing these crab Pokemon's attention.

Upon closer inspection, Eve counted five Corphish surrounding a... Treecko? And it seemed to be knocked out! Burnie was now looking at what was going on behind Eve, but his fear of water made him stay a safe distance from the crustacean Pokemon.

Not know what to do, Eve spoke up: "Hey, you Corphish! Get out or I'm eating crab meat tonight!" With this she grabbed her Scalchop, ready to attack at a moment's notice. She didn't have to, though, and the Corphish scattered under the covers of the clear waves nearby. With them gone, Burnie inched forward while Eve knelt down.

The Pokemon was definitely one of the Treecko species. His light green body was covered in sand and dirt and his eyes were sealed shut. The steady rising and falling of his red stomach showed he was healthy; these were not weak breaths. It was as if he was sleeping, but based on his position being so close to the water, along with the appearance of dirt on his body, signs pointed to him being washed up.

_Just where did this Pokemon come from?_ Eve wondered. She was almost completely sure this was what drew her here. The Oshawott slid her paws under the Treecko's figure and shook him around a bit. He made a strange noise as if he was snoring. Trying again, Eve splashed some water on the gecko's face. His eyes fluttered and opened slightly.

"_Uggghh_..." the Treecko groaned. His yellow eyes were half open. Thanks to the cliché-defying position of the beach, the setting sun was not in this Pokemon's eyes. "W-where... am I...?" he asked weakly, his eyes meeting the Oshawott's own. Her face expressed concern, which was not a usual emotion from her. She quickly put on an unemotional mask to hide this.

"The Shard Town Beach," Eve answered bluntly. "Who're you and why are you here?"

"Eve, quit the tough Pokemon act. This Pokemon might need help fast. You don't want to intimidate it or make things worse," Burnie said.

"S-shut up! It's not an act!" Eve replied while blushing and turning her head to look at the fiery salamander. "I know what I'm doing!"

"You'll just make things worse. You end up doing so whenever you say that."

The Treecko's eyes darted back and forth between the two arguing Pokemon. It was the last thing he wanted to hear right now. His memory was clouded and he couldn't remember much. Plus he had a horrible headache...

The Treecko moaned again. Even if the sun wasn't in his eyes, it was still unnaturally bright to him. He remembered something darker and much more dangerous and dead, but he had no idea where this memory came from. He couldn't remember anything other than tiny details.

"I repeat: _who are you and why are you here?_"

The amnesiac Treecko snapped out of his few thoughts. The two Pokemon seemed to have stopped arguing. Quietly, he answered, "I'm C-Cole the Treecko..."

"..._And_?"

"And, uh... I d-dunno where I'm from..."

Eve looked at Burnie again. "I don't trust this guy," she said.

"You don't trust anyone," the Charmander replied. "My guess is that he washed up from a storm at sea. Didn't you hear the thunder last night?"

"That's true... But what if he's a ruthless pirate outlaw? We can turn him in and take his bounty!"

"Eve... That's ridiculous. He doesn't seem like an outlaw in the slighte-"

"Maybe this is just an act! He'll get us to take pity on him and when we're not looking he'll tie us up, steal our stuff, and throw us in the water!"

Cole sighed and remained silent. These Pokemon made no sense. He had memories of a lot of Pokemon like these, but he couldn't remember any faces or names. It was as if someone cut out parts of his life.

"I dunno about you, but I'm taking Cole to town. I think he needs help."

"Fine. Take him," Eve replied, handing Cole off to the Charmander. "I'm gonna laugh if he mugs you."

Burnie helped Cole to his feet. The Treecko was a bit unsteady at first. For now he decided to walk on all fours, but just until he regained his strength. "C'mon, Cole. Follow me," the Charmander said, leading the Grass-type up the path. Cole followed close behind.

Now alone, Eve sighed. She looked at her reflection in the water. When the waves rolled in, she could see herself. A pair of grumpy green eyes on a head with messy fur stared back at her. She wasn't really pretty and knew she wasn't nice. Who would like someone like her? Still, she didn't want to change herself. She had a reputation to uphold. Kindness was for the weak...

_...Right?_


	2. Chapter 2

Cole and Burnie walked up the dirt path. The Charmander led while the Treecko followed. Cole stayed alert. He had a weird feeling that something was going to jump at him. Maybe it had to do with his lost memories. Burnie glanced at him, concerned. The salamander had noticed his paranoid behavior.

"You okay there?" he asked. "You look worried about something."

"I'm fine," Cole replied. He glanced off to the side to check for any possible predators before putting his focus on his current guide. "Just... Just a bit shaken. That's all."

"Understandable."

"Where are we going anyway?"

"Shard Town. Specifically the inn. You look like you need a rest that doesn't come from being KO'd."

"Yeah... I'd like that."

The two Pokemon continued to walk in silence for a bit. Cole loosened up a bit, but a bit of paranoia still remained.

After a little bit, Cole spoke up: "Hey, I, uh, don't think I got your name."

"Burnard," the Charmander replied simply. "Just call me Burnie."

"And the Oshawott was Eve, right?"

"Yup."

"She seemed kinda... mean."

"Yeah, she can be like that sometimes... Well, most of the time. I believe she's a good Pokemon, though."

"You sure?"

"Positive. I have this feeling in my gut that she's actually pretty nice. Perhaps that's why I hang out with her so much."

The silence started again. Shard Town was pretty close. Along the way a few Pokemon had followed them. The sky was mostly purple and the sun could barely be seen on the horizon. Burnie's fiery tail tip cast a glow around him, lighting up the area the two were traveling a bit. It was getting late, and most of the Shard Town residents were heading home for the night.

A wooden sign with the town's name painted on it marked the entrance to Shard Town. The color was wearing off, but it was certainly still readable. Buildings made of straw, vines, stones, and wood could be seen, and through many of their windows you could see candlelight, though it seemed like a few residents had gone to bed early or just weren't home. Darkness filled the houses of those Pokemon.

"This way," said the Charmander. He checked Cole behind him to check that he was still following. He was. Even if he wasn't, it wouldn't take long to find him. Burnie knew his way around Shard Town like the back of his hand.

A few Pokemon outside glanced at Burnie. Shard Town was small and most Pokemon knew each other by name. Some of the more friendly citizens said hello to Burnie, and a few of them asked questions about who the Treecko was or where Eve was. Burnie would answer with "He's my guest," or "She's at the beach," respectively.

At last they had reached the town's inn.

"Here we are," said Burnie, gesturing to the building. It was about two floors high and had vines running down it. The wood used to build it was light in color and it had a stone roof.

"Thank you," said Cole. He grinned sheepishly. He was an amnesiac Treecko who just turned up one day, and this Charmander was showing him kindness anyway.

Burnie opened the door to the inn. "C'mon, I'll get you a room," he said. The Fire-type had no Poke on him right now, but that didn't matter. He had a plan... Which basically involved bugging a relative who worked there.

Eve was now sitting down in the sand. The waves would touch her feet and even go beyond that every few seconds, and the Oshawott was aimlessly doodling in the sand with her paw. The larger waves would wash away anything she drew, but that didn't matter. Eve persisted. She found it relaxing.

Eve wondered about what Cole and Burnie were doing. She would never tell them this, but she hoped that they were okay and safe, preferably safe in the comfort of some kind of shelter.

Eve wished she had someone who would be like that to her. Her family was way out somewhere and she lived alone in a small cottage on the outskirts of town. She sighed. "Might as well head home for the night..." she mumbled to herself.

Eve got up. She looked at the sky. It was now fully nighttime. She could see hundreds of stars glowing faintly in the far distance. It was a beautiful sight, but also a common one in this world. The Oshawott smiled slightly. At least she was able to see this tonight. It had been cloudy and rainy during the last few days. Seeing the expanses of space was a reminder that the clouds had parted once again.

Turning back, the otter followed the path back home. She wanted Burnie here... It wasn't that she liked him or anything! _I just need a light_, she thought.

On the left side of the path was a forest that lay on the edge of town. The trees weren't that tall and were big enough for a small and adventurous Pokemon to climb. Its close proximity to town lead to a few tree stumps, and there were some younger trees that were planted to replace them.

The leaves of the forest danced about in the cool night wind. The grass swayed about. Eve headed off into the forest, the loose canopy of leaves covering her in slight darkness. Dark or not, the Oshawott knew her way around the forest. Still, having Burnie with her _would_ help. She wondered what was happening with Burnie and that strange Treecko from earlier. _I'll visit them in the morning. They're hopeless without me_, she decided, heading off deeper into the forest to her tiny home...


End file.
